Move page file? Where?

[Marek Kalisz]

System has 3M memory but sometimes is slowing down considerably. Page file
is now on C:\. I heard that the best way to speed up performance is to
separate page file from working drives/partitions (even put this on separate
drive). My drives are:
4 drives:
1. 250GB HD (booting drive)
2. 250GB HD (2 partitions)
3. 500GB USB Drive (2 part/one is Acronis Special partition)
4. 120GB USB Drive
Any suggestions where to, eventually, move it? Or, as I just read in some
magazine, to look in my garbage can fro some very old and very small drive
from 10-15 years ago, install it and use as a page file?
Marek Kalisz

 

[Guest]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307886

-Dan

 

[Robert Moir]

System has 3M memory but sometimes is slowing down considerably. Page file
is now on C:\. I heard that the best way to speed up
performance is to separate page file from working drives/partitions
(even put this on separate drive). My drives are:
4 drives:
1. 250GB HD (booting drive)
2. 250GB HD (2 partitions)
3. 500GB USB Drive (2 part/one is Acronis Special partition)
4. 120GB USB Drive
Any suggestions where to, eventually, move it? Or, as I just read in
some magazine, to look in my garbage can fro some very old and very
small drive from 10-15 years ago, install it and use as a page file?

If your computer really shows enough of a benefit from moving the pagefile
that it utterly counters a system that is "slowing down considerably" then
I'd be suprised and worried. Whatever your problem is, it's unlikely to be
the pagefile, and I feel a better path to enlightenment would be to find and
fix what is causing the slowdown, rather than applying a bandage to a
different part of your system.

 

[Marek Kalisz]

Thanks for tips. But - I was asking rather about some opinion about a sense
and advantages/disadvantages of such a move.
Marek Kalisz

 

[Marek Kalisz]

Yes, I'm watching system and have several "anti" gadgets also installed
scanning system or fixing registry. However, with time my system started to
be heavy loaded with programs. So, since main (C) HD is already working
hard moving page file sounded like a good idea. I might be wrong...
Marek Kalisz

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

System has 3M memory but sometimes is slowing down considerably. Page file
is now on C:\. I heard that the best way to speed up
performance is to separate page file from working drives/partitions
(even put this on separate drive).

The thing that most slows down use of the page file is moving the drive
heads to and from it. Putting the page file on a second partition on your
only (or main) drive puts it far from the other frequently-used data on the
drive, increases the time it takes to get to and from it, and negatively
impacts performance.

Putting the page file on another *physical* drive, on the other hand,
normally increases performance. A good rule of thumb is that the page file
should be on the most-used partition of the least-used physical drive.

However, with 3GB of RAM, unless you run very memory-intensive applications,
it's unlikely that you have any substantial use of the page file at all, and
where you put it will make no perceptible difference.

My drives are:
4 drives:
1. 250GB HD (booting drive)
2. 250GB HD (2 partitions)
3. 500GB USB Drive (2 part/one is Acronis Special partition)
4. 120GB USB Drive

Any suggestions where to, eventually, move it? Or, as I just read in
some magazine, to look in my garbage can fro some very old and very
small drive from 10-15 years ago, install it and use as a page file?

That's probably a poor thing thing to do. Older drives are also going to be
slower drives. If it makes any difference at all (and I doubt it. with 3GB
of RAM) it will probably be best on the more actively-used partition of your
second 250GB drive.

 

[xxx]

Thanks for tips. But - I was asking rather about some opinion about a sense
and advantages/disadvantages of such a move.
Marek Kalisz

Have a look at this article. Hope it helps!


http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Marek

A different view on your problem
http://www.thepcspy.com/articles/other/what_really_slows_windows_down/5

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Marek Kalisz]

Thanks. Very interesting (and useful) comparison. But those factors are
not the only ones. Since computers started to be "more powerful," memory
and HDs cheaper, the programmists (started from MS) went berserk. I believe
that it started with MS and its Windows. A few million lines of code... How
many of those lines duplicate functions of other? The "modular" design,
repeated by most software companies means: several teams work on separate
issues (modules), then they are gluing those modules together without paying
attention to the total size of code... Memory is cheap, HDs bigger, etc. I
didn't hear yet about company that would try - after original design process
ended - to review code and squeeze it to reduce it's size (what in most
cases is possible). They just adding, adding, adding - functions, modules,
advertisements, etc. - supposedly to satisfy needs of consumers.
Sometime I dream about old times when with DOS, Word Star or WordPerfect,
some Lotus I was able to do most of writing and formatting that I do now.
The code was much smaller (I was even able to setup a full working version
of WordStar on my then wife's PCJr - what "experts" from IBM were telling
me that it's impossible.}
Anyway, it's for programmists to do: to change philosophy and pay attention
to design and code size (try to compact codes before marketing).
Now it's like in many fast food places - get to Big Macs meals for price of
one.
And 60% of Americans are classified as obese ones...
Marek Kalisz

 

[Squire]

Hi, Marek,
Along with the other suggestions,
If you will go to the System Restore page,
On the left side, click System Restore Settings,
Highlight Windows XP and click Settings,
Move the slider bar down to 5% or less, since you are only Restoring system
files.
Hit OK to backout to the previous page,

Then highlight the other partitions one at a time, hitting settings and
clicking the box in front of - Turn off system restore on this drive.
This will save a lot of drive space.

 

[Squire]

Be sure to Reboot for this to take effect.

 

[Marek Kalisz]

Thanks. But my puzzle is a little different. And I have still a lot of
space free on drives.
1. 3 internal drives. Two have reserved system space of abt. 12%, on one is
only abt. 1.5% reserved.
2. 2 USB drives - each has reserved abt. 12% space.
So, why do I need so much "reserved" space on USB drives? On both USB
drives Recycler holds only 1 directory (S-1-5-21- etc.) - 85kb size, System
Volume Information is zero size. (Other question: why clicking Empty
Recycle Bin" doesn't empty Recyclers on other drives?.
The other question is: Why such a difference in "reserved space" between
all three internal drives?
Marek Kalisz

 

[Squire]

I don't have any idea what reserved space is for, unless there is a hidden
Operating system on it.

As to moving your paging file,
Create a 2 GB partition on the first part of your number 2 hard drive, using
this as your Paging File, using the suggestions in the Aumha.Org post from
xxx.

If you are using Partition Magic or BootIt NG, this is easily accomplished.

 

[Marek Kalisz]

Thanks. No other operating system. It's still a mystery for me. But -
maybe next weekend I'll do some more extensive research on Web myself...
Marek Kalisz

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Marek

It is likely that an allocation of 12% has been made to System Restore on
each partition which is over generous. You only need an allocation on the
partition in which the windows operating system is located. For this
partition
I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right click your My Computer icon on the
Desktop and select System Restore. Place the cursor on the drive / partition
select Settings, find the slider and drag it to the left until it reads
700 mb and exit. When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and
OK and exit. You can cancel the allocations on other partitions / drives.

http://bertk.mvps.org/

Another default setting on a large drive which could be wasteful is that for
temporary internet files especially if you do not store offline copies on
disk. The default allocation is 3% of drive. Depending on your attitude to
offline copies you could reduce this to 1% or 2%.

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Marek Kalisz]

Gerry, thanks. But... System Restore is set only on drive C: - other are
turned off. Web cache is not a problem for me at all. So, it has to be
something else.
Marek Kalisz

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Marek

How much does your system use the page file?

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task
Manager and click the Performance Tab. Under Commit
Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Marek Kalisz]

Commit Charge 518M/7010M with no programs open (Peak: 1458844). So, it
seems that I have enough space here.
Marek

 

[Mak]

Sorry to jump in...
Commit charge is not page file usage, it is what page file usage will be in
case every single process's private bytes have to be written to disk.

To check page file usage, start - run - perfmon.
paging file as performance object, %usage as a counter, monitor and
multiply.

I'd say you worry about nothing, I mean, I second what Ken Blake already
said.
BTW, your USB drives are out of the picture - you can't store page files on
removable disks.

 

[Dave B.]

Maybe all these scanning and fixing gadgets are your problem. Stop using any
registry cleaning/fixing tools ASAP!